22 Face Masks That Will Actually Change Your Skin

Of all the beauty products we love (and hoard), face masks rank high up these among our favorites. Just try to name one skin care item that pairs as well with a glass of wine, bubble bath, or the latest episode of Riverdale. (You can’t. They rule.) That said, you can’t swatch a face mask in Sephora—though spot testing at home is always recommended—so it’s best to know how your skin will react before you start binge-masking. To make things easier on your face and your wallet, we’ve rounded up the masks that Glamour editors actually swear by, based on our biggest skin concerns. Read up on the best face masks for oily, dry, redness and acne-prone, and combination skin, then go forth and reap their rewards.

For Combination Skin: Simone's Super Green Secret Weapon Mask

The Results: "This hydrating formula looks and acts like a clay mask—slightly tightening, pore-minimizing—but is secretly a hydrating powerhouse thanks to antioxidants, hyaluronic acid, and minerals. When things are looking dull, I layer it on for about 10 minutes. It leaves me looking like I chugged a green juice, ran a mile, and got nine hours of sleep." —Simone Kitchens, associate beauty director

For Combination Skin: Lauren's Twiggy Hollywood Mask

The Results: "When Glamglow came onto the scene a few years ago, I was operating at peak skin care junkie level. So when I read that 'all of Hollywood' was using the masks, I gave in and spent $75 on one. It goes on thick and gritty and has literal tiny twigs and leaves in it. It dries up and tingles a bit—so be careful if you have sensitive skin—but when you take it off, your face feels resurfaced." —Lauren Chan, fashion features editor

For Combination Skin: Sara's Favorite "Extra Dose of Green" Mask

The Results: "I'm pretty lucky in that I have relatively normal skin, but every now and then I just feel like it needs a dose of leafy greens, especially if I feel like I’ve slacked off washing my face as thoroughly as I know I should for a day or two. Using this face mask gets me back on track and leaves my skin feeling soft and superclean. In fact, my favorite Sunday nights end with me in the bath, watching Netflix on my iPad, and wearing one of these." —Sara Gaynes Levy, health editor

For Combination Skin: Jen's Time-Traveling At-Home Facial Mask

The Results: "This is my Benjamin Button mask: I'll use it for 20 minutes at night and wake up with my 15-year-old complexion again. Thanks to the gentle exfoliation from the AHAs, my skin becomes noticeably more smooth and glowy, but never irritated. It's also worth mentioning that the cute baby pink packaging has secured this guy a front row spot on my top shelf." —Jen Mulrow, assistant beauty editor

For Dry Skin: Azadeh's Chamomile and Chill Clay Mask

The Results: "I never expected a face mask to blow my mind, but this one does. Its soft gel-like texture is cooling the instant it hits your skin, and the fragrance from the chamomile is so soothing that I could literally feel my anxiety drop—just from how it smells when you apply it. It doesn't tingle or start to feel tight as it dries, and every time I use it redness is reduced, my skin tone is even, and I'm left glowing." —Azadeh Valanejad, social video producer

For Dry Skin: Amber's Opposite-of-Irritating Vitamin C Mask

The Results: "Feeding your face vitamins is tricky if it's irritable or dry, but also really essential. This is the only vitamin C product I've used that doesn't give me those weird, slightly raised and red irritation bumps that turn into pimples if your skin is dry and you poke at them. Instead, this gorgeous purple mask leaves behind even texture and that lit-from-within glow that's hard to get on drier skin types." —Amber Rambharose, beauty editor

For Dry Skin: Ana's Play-Doh Day Glow Mask

The Results: "To me, this is the ultimate weekday mask: You need to do it for only 10 to 15 minutes, and you feel it working, i.e., tightening your skin a bit as it dries, almost instantly. I like its consistency too because it's closer to Play-Doh than cream, which, though weird at first, made application a lot easier since it spread pretty evenly from the get-go. Once I wash it off, my skin is bright, even, and super refreshed." —Ana Colón, digital fashion editor

For Dry Skin: Erin's No-Nonsense, Baby-Soft-Skin Sleeping Mask

The Results: "I'm a huge fan of sleeping masks, mostly because I hate to apply something to my face, wait 20 minutes, rinse it off, and then spend more time on skin care. A thin layer of this feels luxurious and very unsticky, so you can feel good going to bed with it on—no pillow residue at all. I'll forget I'm wearing it by the next morning, but when I go to wash my face, I'm always amazed at how soft my skin feels." —Erin Reimel, beauty assistant

For Dry Skin: Jenae's Two-in-One Priming Mask

The Results: "What I love most about this mask is that it works two ways: You can either apply a thick layer and wear it as a 15-minute mask or apply a thin layer for an all-day primer. I use the latter method most often because it gives my skin an instant pick-me-up. It’s basically like an iced almond milk latte for your face." —Jenae Holloway, special projects manager

The Results: "A word of warning: I use this mask all wrong, but the results are so, so right. It's a 15-minute enzyme mask, but it's so gentle. I put it on twice a week at night as a sleep mask in place of my moisturizer, and it works wonders on my red, inflamed cheeks and zit-prone chin. It smells divine, like a light citrus-pineapple, glides on like a dream, and gently calms and exfoliates my skin overnight. I'm always surprised by soft and luminous my face looks in the morning." —Lindsay Schallon, senior beauty editor

For Redness and Acne-Prone Skin: Laurel's Irritation Eradication Mask

The Results: "For context, my skin was extremely red and rashy—whether the result of stress or seasonal allergies, I know not—when I first tried this. The texture was extremely rich on my skin and instantly soothing. I have a deep aversion to clay masks because they often require serious shellacking to achieve good coverage, but this went on like a rich cream; easy peasy. It doesn't magically erase my few errant pimples, but it does make a huge difference in my pores. Overall my skin feels softer and more supple." —Laurel Pinson, digital director

For Redness and Acne-Prone Skin: Rachel's Overnight Glow Mask

The Results: "This overnight mask is intensely moisturizing, and after going to sleep with some redness on my cheeks and zits lurking on my chin, I woke up to a glow. A glow! That never happens. Chalk it up to the formula’s soothing qualities." —Rachel Nussbaum, beauty writer

The Results: "Because of my skin tone, almost any blemish—be it a blackhead or a deep pimple—leaves a scar on my face. The longer it hangs around, the worse the scar is, so I have to eradicate them fast without squeezing. This face mask has been a lifesaver. It works like a vacuum on clogged pores but also on the irritated skin around blemishes to soothe, exfoliate off flakiness, and erase uneven nastiness." —Amber Rambharose, beauty editor

For Sensitive Skin: Meredith's Magical Cure-All Mask

The Results: "I’ve struggled with breakouts my whole life, and on top of that, I have supersensitive skin, but this mask has saved my face more times than I can count. It really does clear up and brighten my skin when I’m fighting off pimples or need to prepare for a fancy event. It’s a lovely, slightly iridescent gel that goes on smoothly, and when I wash it off, my skin feels refreshed but not stripped. I recommend it to anyone who struggles to find a balance between keeping skin clear without making it angry and red." —Meredith Clark, news and culture editor

For Sensitive Skin: Amber's "Fancy, Soft Skin in a Tube" Mask

The Results: "You know this mask is fancy because it's spelled with a que instead of k, and I'm not mad at it because this masque has never betrayed me. My skin is used to an intense cleansing and exfoliating routine, but during breakouts it can't handle the usual AHA and BHA cocktail I throw at it. This clay cools, soothes, and sucks gunk out of your face without leaving any irritation. Plus it's in a tube, which more clay masks definitely should be." —Amber Rambharose, beauty editor

For Sensitive Skin: Khaliha's Tingly but So Worth It Mask

The Results: "I have combination skin, that isn’t acne-prone or sensitive anymore, but I still treat it as if it is. As soon as I put this mask on, my skin started tingling, and I was so tempted to run into the bathroom and wash it off, but I stayed strong and I’m glad I did. I woke up the next day and was in love with my skin. Seriously, cue angels singing and a really dramatic chef’s kiss. I have scars and texture on my skin due to my cystic acne, and they were less prominent the next morning. I saw the biggest difference when I put my makeup on: Everything just looked smoother." —Khaliha Hawkins, digital administrative assistant

For Sensitive Skin: Lindsay's Delicious-Smelling Shower Staple

The Results: "If we're talking empties—the products that, when they run out, you immediately need more of—this is mine. I must have a jar of it in my shower at all times. I love the entire experience. It feels like dipping your hand into a vat of marmalade, and when you rub it on your face, all you smell is the most invigorating lemony-orange scent. A lot of vitamin C masks burn or leave me red; this just gives me a glow that doesn't look like I feel asleep in my makeup for the fifth time that month." —Lindsay Schallon, senior beauty editor

For Oily Skin: Rachel's Pumpkin Spicy Peel Mask

The Results: "This face mask is the closest thing we’re getting to fall in a jar, and for a season that’s been lacking so far, I’ll take it. This exfoliating mask comes with a slight tingle, so you know the pumpkin enzymes are taking care of your dead skin, and it’s worth it—your skin comes out bright and lovely." —Rachel Nussbaum, beauty writer

The Results: "My skin feels insanely soft after I use this mask. It takes about 20 minutes to dry but doesn't pinch your skin or leave gross flakes everywhere. With other clay masks, my skin will go back to being an oil slick after a few hours, but I'm noticeably shine-free for the rest of the evening—and the morning after—when I use this one. Normally, by the time I get to the office every morning, the foundation and concealer I put on at home has rubbed off and I’m super shiny (not cute), but this mask brings my oiliness way, way down." —Halie Lesavage, fashion assistant

For Oily Skin: Alyssa's Squeaky-Clean Charcoal Mask

The Results: "I apply this mask right after I wash and dry my face. It starts to dry up almost immediately and gets so tight that you can’t really move your mouth, but I always love that in a mask. It makes me feel like it’s actually working. As soon as my entire face is dry, I wash it off, which might be the best part because the mask has beads that exfoliate your skin as you’re washing it away. It’s kind of addicting, and my skin never looks or feels as good as it does right after I use it." —Alyssa Fiorentino, social media editor

For Oily Skin: Rachel's "No, Really, It Does Both" Cleansing Mask

The Results: "Show me a cleanser that says it's also a mask, and nine times out of 10, I'll show you a product that's bluffing. Yet this twofer comes through: The enzymes gently burn through your dead skin with a tingle, while water-activated vitamin C starts working ASAP. The longer you can leave it on, the better, but my skin is soft and bright after just five minutes and a single wash." —Rachel Nussbaum, beauty writer